"That's not good. That's not good at all."
Markus breaks off of Phobos, before firing two AAMs at Scarabs 1 and 3, dropping three flares and going evasive.
Scarab base EV 45
Mothership Guidance provides bonus of 20
AAM 1 provides penalty of 35
AAM 2 provides penalty of 35
Test taken at -5
Roll: 15 - failure
Test failed
Tukreb base EV 75
HSM 1 provides penalty of 25
HSM 2 provides penalty of 25
VTM 1 provides penalty of 20
Flares provide bonus of 120
Test taken at 125
Roll: 94 - success
Test passedYou destroy one drone, but are forced to evade before you can acquire a second lock.
: If you guys don't stop playing with that Hyperion, I'll get out there and shoot down those drones myself. Blackeye, continue engaging those Scarabs before they take down our cruisers.
Scarab base EV 45
Mothership Guidance provides bonus of 20
RGM provides penalty of 45
Test taken at 20
Roll: 88 - failure
Test failedHis missile fired prior takes down its target.
Faw fires all his weapons at the Hyperion before dropping 2 flares and entering evasive maneuvers. He manages to choke out an quick order to Blackeye.
"Blackeye, two RGMs on Scarab-6!"
LCP accuracy 50
Aim provides bonus of 20
Missile range provides penalty of 20
Test taken at 50
Roll: 64 - failure
Reroll granted by duplicate weapon: 22 - success by 3 degrees
Result: 1 hit to fuselage, 2 hits to right rear quarter
LCB accuracy 55
Aim provides bonus of 20
Test taken at 75
Roll: 69 - success
Result: 1 hit to right wing
PPC accuracy 60
Aim provides bonus of 20
Test taken at 80
Roll: 98 - miss
Result: 1 hit to right wingThe Hyperion's wing is clipped off and it begins a losing battle for control.
Scarab base EV 45
Mothership Guidance provides bonus of 20
RGM 1 provides penalty of 45
RGM 2 provides penalty of 45
Test taken at -25
Roll: 27 - failure
Test failedTwo more missiles streak towards the scarabs.
Walter drops three flares and evades, coming out of his maneuver to fire a pair of seekers on Scarab-7
"Firing on Scarab 7."
Shiva base EV 58
Experience provides bonus of 7
AVTM 1 provides penalty of 30
AVTM 2 provides penalty of 30
Flares provide bonus of 120
Test taken at 125
Roll: 35 - success
Test passed
Scarab base EV 45
Mothership Guidance provides bonus of 20
HSM 1 provides penalty of 25
HSM 2 provides penalty of 25
Test taken at 15
Roll: 3 - success
Test passedThe strike drone maneuvers out of the way of the incoming missiles.
Lorens hurriedly moves into position behind the carrier for a hasty rearmament.
"Carrier, Snowman, rearm pre-contact established, requesting four AAMs!"

: We read you, Snowman. Take up position behind COMRO pod four.
(You will be resupplied next turn)
Trailing black smoke from its burning engine and spiraling out of control towards the buildings below, Phobos fires one last spiteful missile barrage at the pilot responsible before abandoning its stricken craft.
The rest of the drones open fire with their guns, some of them directed at your allies and some at you.
Culexes attacking Walter:
Micro-Pulse Laser accuracy 45
Missile Range provides penalty of 20
Large target provides bonus of 5
Test taken at 30
Rolls: 95, 3, 94
Result: 2 hits to fuselage
Culexes attacking Scorch:
Micro-Pulse Laser accuracy 45
Missile Range provides penalty of 20
Large target provides bonus of 5
Test taken at 25
Rolls: 64, 24
Result: 1 hit to fuselage
Culexes attacking Gladiator:
Micro-Pulse Laser accuracy 45
Missile Range provides penalty of 20
Test taken at 25
Rolls: 8, 69, 75
Result: 2 hits to left wingDrones are 3 turns from gun range; except for the Scarabs, which have reversed course and are still 4 turns out.

In the war room, an officer calls out that the Mercanan satellite imagery has come through. Tarkirov orders them to put it on the screen, and the view of the battle is replaced with a high-resolution photograph of downtown Kronovostok. Sure enough, there's the carrier, the three cruisers, and the two destroyers who didn't join the other four you dealt with earlier. However, there is a seventh ship present, of unknown configuration.

: Unacceptable. What do we pay our intelligence agencies for? They told me those light carriers were still
months away from completion.

: Why didn't we see it in the first place? That's a big thing to miss.

: Because, like every new Imperial toy these days, it can cloak. Hmph. Cloaking destroyers, cloaking carriers... by the time we take the fight across the sea to them they'll probably have found a way to turn their entire
continent invisible.